Coronavirus and Pregnancy

Coronavirus and pregnancy? Is there anything a pregnant woman who is infected or uninfected should worry about? Keep reading this article to find out.

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Generally, pregnancy is an exciting and stressful period of time. There are a lot of questions racing through your mind and concerns ranging from mild to serious ones. Some people may call these mild concerns silly but there are no silly questions when you’re pregnant.

One of the most common questions one can ask is how illness affects the baby while you’re pregnant. Thus, you should always let your doctor know if you develop a fever during pregnancy. This is because certain viruses may affect the health of your baby. Some examples include:

cytomegalovirus (CMV)
varicella-zoster
Zika virus
rubella
parvovirus B19
herpes
HIV

Furthermore, a new virus hit the world scene and spread rapidly in 2019. This novel coronavirus is responsible for the respiratory disease we call COVID-19. The Zika virus and its risks of birth abnormalities are still fresh on the minds of many. Therefore, with the coming of COVID-19, a lot of pregnant women may have added another worry to their growing lists.

In the year 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the global outbreak of COVID-19 a “public health emergency of concern internationally.” Those are some really very scary words.

COVID-19 is still a new disease and hence, hasn’t been studied well enough. Thus, how it affects pregnant women and their developing babies isn’t known fully. And that’s worrisome.

But before you fear or become very anxious, read on. Here’s what you need to know about the new coronavirus and pregnancy if you’re pregnant or planning to become pregnant.

What is Coronavirus?

Before we tell you about Coronavirus and pregnancy, let’s talk about what coronavirus is briefly. TO begin with, coronaviruses are a family of viruses that circulate in both humans and animals. They can cause everything, beginning from the common cold to more serious respiratory illnesses.

In later parts of the year 2019, a new coronavirus, called Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), emerged in humans in Wuhan somewhere in China. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), experts aren’t exactly sure of how the virus originated or spread. However, they suspect it may have transferred to humans from contact with an animal.

Furthermore, this virus is responsible for a respiratory disease called COVID-19.

Are There Symptoms Pregnant Or Breastfeeding Women Need To Be Aware Of?

In this part of this article on the subject coronavirus and pregnancy, let’s briefly talk about some of its symptoms.

Mainly, COVID-19 is a respiratory disease. Its symptoms usually show up between 2 and 14 days after the person has been exposed to the new coronavirus. According to the New England Journal of Medicine, after acquiring the data from people who had contacted COVID-19 in China, a median incubation period of 4 days was discovered.

However, the most common symptoms of COVID-19 whether you’re pregnant or not are:

cough
fever
shortness of breath
fatigue

Also, there are some other symptoms. They include the following:

chills. They may occur sometimes alongside repeated shaking.
sore throat
headache
loss of smell or taste
muscle aches and pains

Very importantly, call your doctor if you are pregnant and have any of these symptoms. You may need to visit, or maybe even get tested at a hospital. However, it’s very important to give your doctor advance warning before going into the office. This will help the staff to take the necessary precautions to protect both their own health and that of other patients.

Are Pregnant Women More Vulnerable To The Virus?

Here, we’ll be telling you whether with regards to coronavirus and pregnancy a pregnant woman is more prone to this virus. Keep reading on.

To begin with, the virus hasn’t been studied extensively so no one can say for sure.

However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) notes that pregnant women are more easily affected than others to all kinds of respiratory infections, such as the flu. Partly, this is because pregnancy causes changes to your immune system and also partly because of the way pregnancy impacts your heart and lungs.

Even so, as of March 2020, there’s no strong evidence suggesting that pregnant women are more vulnerable to COVID-19 than other people based on a 2020 study. And even if they do get the infection, the researchers go on to point out that they’re no more likely than others to get serious complications of the disease, like pneumonia.

Are There Safe Medical Treatments For Pregnant Women With the Coronavirus?

We trust you’ve been enjoying this informative article on coronavirus and pregnancy. Let’s find out if there are safe medical treatments for pregnant women with COVID-19.

The treatment for COVID-19 is pretty much the same as the treatment of other respiratory illnesses. This is because whether you’re pregnant or not, doctors advise that:

you take acetaminophen (Tylenol) for a fever of 100.4°F (38°C) or higher
you stay well hydrated with water or low-sugar drinks
you get enough rest

However, if Tylenol doesn’t bring down your fever, you have difficulty breathing, or you start vomiting, immediately call your doctor for further assistance.

How Dangerous Is It For Pregnant Women To Get Coronavirus?

Just as we said earlier in this article, because the virus is still very new, there’s little data to go on. However, experts can pull some data from the past. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) notes that pregnant women who have gotten other, related coronaviruses have a higher chance of having worse outcomes than pregnant women who don’t get these infections.

Pregnant women with other coronaviruses experience things like miscarriage, preterm birth, stillbirth, and have a more severe infection. Also, high fever in the first trimester of pregnancy, no matter the cause can lead to birth defects.

OK, take a deep breath, we know that sounds really scary. However, all the news isn’t alarming, especially when we look at pregnant women who while sick with this particular virus have delivered.

Furthermore, according to a WHO report that looked at a small sampling of pregnant women with COVID-19, the enormous majority didn’t have serious cases. Out of the 147 women who were studied, 8 percent of them had severe COVID-19 and 1 percent were critical.

According to the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists reports, some Chinese women with coronavirus symptoms have given birth to preterm babies. However, it’s unclear whether the babies were born early because of the infection or because doctors decided to risk a premature delivery since the moms-to-be were unwell. Also, they’ve seen no evidence that this particular coronavirus causes miscarriage.

Can COVID-19 Be Passed To Your Baby During Pregnancy or Childbirth?

In this research on coronavirus and pregnancy, this is probably the biggest concern of almost every pregnant woman. Continue reading to find out if those fears are correct or misplaced.

So, we’ll be submitting this answer judging from the women who have given birth while infected with this coronavirus. From findings, the answer is probably that it’s unlikely or more accurately, that there’s no definitive evidence that it does.

Recall that COVID-19 is a disease that’s mainly passed from person to person through droplets (usually from the coughs and sneezes of infected people). With this in mind, your baby can only be exposed to such droplets after birth.

Furthermore, one tiny study looked at nine pregnant Chinese women infected with the new coronavirus in the last trimester of pregnancy. It was observed that the virus didn’t show up in samples taken from their amniotic fluid or cord blood or in throat swabs of the newborn babies.

However, in a slightly larger study, three newborns born to women who had COVID-19 tested positive for the virus, and another 30 newborns in the group tested negative. But, researchers are not sure whether the babies who tested positive really got the virus in utero or if they got it shortly after they were born.

Will You Need A Cesarean Section If You Have COVID-19 At The Time of Delivery?

Firstly, let’s establish that whether you deliver your baby vaginally or via cesarean will depend on a lot of factors, and not just on whether you have COVID-19.

However, according to lancet.com, experts say a vaginal delivery is favorable to cesarean delivery. This is provided that you’re eligible for a vaginal delivery and aren’t recommended for a c-section due to other factors. They also note that performing surgery on a body already weakened with a serious virus may cause extra complications.

Can Coronavirus Be Passed Through Breast Milk?

This is probably another reason for some serious fears when the subject of coronavirus and pregnancy is talked about.

A few studies have been done on breastfeeding women with the coronavirus. From findings gathered from these studies, the answer appears to be no. However, experts suggest that more research needs to be done before they can strongly say there is no risk.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that you should speak with your doctor about the pros and cons of breastfeeding if you’re a new mom who has COVID-19 or suspects you might. Then, if you do decide to breastfeed, you can help to reduce your baby’s exposure to the virus by:

putting on a face mask
thoroughly washing your hands before touching your baby and make sure to get under your nails and into the webbing of your fingers
washing your hands thoroughly before you handle a breast pump or bottle
consider having someone who is well to give the baby a bottle of expressed breast milk

The Best Strategies for Avoiding the Coronavirus

Without a doubt, you’ve heard them before. However, let’s remind you of them again:

Thoroughly wash your hands for 20 seconds with soap and running water. In summary, use hand sanitizer with at least 60 percent alcohol. And skip the baby wipes because they don’t disinfect.
Stand 6 feet away from people to observe social distancing.
Try as much as you can to not touch your face, especially your mouth, eyes, and nose.
Avoid places where there are large crowds. In fact, the more you can reduce your exposure to people, the better for you.
Take care of yourself by eating well, getting enough rest, and exercising if your doctor says it’s OK. This is because a healthy body is better able than a run down one to fight off all kinds of diseases.

The Conclusion On Coronavirus and Pregnancy

Just like swollen ankles and constipation, worry is a constant companion for any pregnant woman. However, it’s very important to maintain the right perspective.

Without a doubt, this new coronavirus is a serious business, but, pregnant or not, you’re not a person or thing with no protection against an attack or other source of danger.

Furthermore, while there is still a lot that needs to be learned about the virus, the little research available right now shows that pregnant women with COVID-19 are no more likely than others to have severe disease. Again, the virus is not likely to be passed along to their babies during pregnancy or childbirth, according to the limited data that has been gathered so far.

Nevertheless, as the saying goes, it pays to be prepared, not scared. Observing simple steps like thorough hand washing and reducing your time in crowds can go a long way in protecting both you and your baby.